為什么骨折對老人老說是致命的？

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is in the hospital after falling and breaking three ribs, according to news reports. But why are broken bones and other fall-related injuries so worrisome for older adults?

據(jù)新聞報道，大法官Ruth Bader Ginsburg摔斷了三根肋骨之后住進(jìn)了醫(yī)院。但為什么對于老人來說，骨折和其他和摔倒有關(guān)的傷害會如此讓人擔(dān)心呢?

Ginsburg, who is 85, fell in her office on Wednesday night (Nov. 7), according to The New York Times. She went home afterward, but felt discomfort and was admitted to the hospital Thursday morning, the Times reported. Doctors found she had broken three ribs on her left side.

《紐約時報》報道說，上周三晚(11月7日)，85歲的Ginsburg在她的辦公室里摔倒。之后她回了家，但是感覺到不是很舒服，于是第二天早上去了醫(yī)院。醫(yī)生發(fā)現(xiàn)她摔斷了左側(cè)的三根肋骨。

Fall-related injuries are relatively common among people ages 65 and older, but can be serious or even deadly in this population.

跌倒相關(guān)的受傷在65歲及以上的人群中相對常見，但傷情可能很嚴(yán)重甚至?xí)斐伤劳觥?/p>

In particular, broken bones can have serious ramifications for the health of older adults, experts say. A study from Denmark published earlier this year found that broken bones can increase the risk of death up to 25 percent over a one-year period among older adults, and this risk remains high for up to 10 years after the injury.

專家指出，尤其是骨折會對老年人的健康造成嚴(yán)重的后果。一個今年早些時候發(fā)表的來自丹麥的研究發(fā)現(xiàn)，骨折可以使老年人在1年中的死亡風(fēng)險上升25%，并且該風(fēng)險在老年人受傷后的10年中都居高不下。

Broken bones "are more dangerous [in older adults] because of the implications of the fracture itself on the overall condition of the patient," said Dr. Gisele Wolf-Klein, director of geriatric education at Northwell Health in Great Neck, New York, who is not involved in Ginsburg's care.

骨折“在老年人群中更危險，這是因為骨折本身對病人整體健康的影響，”來自紐約大頸的美國猶太保健集團中的老年病教育主管Gisele Wolf-Klein博士表示。

For example, it's not uncommon for older adults with broken bones to need surgery to treat the fracture. And "any surgery with anesthesia is going to create a new challenge for elderly patients," Wolf-Klein told Live Science. Surgery puts stress on the heart, which may be problematic for older adults with heart conditions.

比方說，老人骨折后需要手術(shù)治療很常見。而“任何需要麻醉的手術(shù)對于老年病人來說都是一個新挑戰(zhàn)，”Wolf-Klein告訴Livescience說。手術(shù)會對病人的心臟產(chǎn)生壓力，這可能對有心臟病的老年人來說是個挑戰(zhàn)。

In addition, surgery and the broken bone itself will lead to older adults being less mobile, or bedridden, which can result in complications, Wolf-Klein said. Such complications include pressure sores from staying in bed, or deconditioning that could make someone even more frail and prone to injury.

此外Wolf-Klein表示，手術(shù)和斷骨本身都會導(dǎo)致老年人活動不便，或者只能臥床，這就會引起并發(fā)癥。此類的并發(fā)癥有由于長期臥床產(chǎn)生的褥瘡，或者是讓病人更脆弱并且更容易受傷的去適應(yīng)作用。

Being bedridden can also increase the risk of pneumonia in older adults, particularly those with lung conditions such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). That's because, when immobilized, these patients are more likely to develop secretions that stay in their lungs, which increase the risk of developing pneumonia, Wolf-Klein said.

老年人長期臥床還會增加肺炎的風(fēng)險，尤其是那些有著慢性肺阻疾病(COPD)這樣肺病的老人。Wolf-Klein解釋說，這是因為身體長時間不動，病人的肺中會潴留更多的分泌物，今兒增加了感染肺炎的風(fēng)險。

Aging itself also slows down the body's recovery period, meaning older adults may spend weeks in the hospital recovering after a fall.

變老也會延長身體的康復(fù)周期，意味著老人在摔傷之后或許要在醫(yī)院里花費數(shù)周的時間康復(fù)。

Given the serious consequences of falls for older adults, it's important to prevent falls among this population.

鑒于老年人跌倒的嚴(yán)重后果，防止該人群的摔倒是非常重要的。

Ginsburg has faced health challenges before, but has proved to be particularly resilient. In 2012, she broke two ribs without missing work, and she recovered quickly after a heart procedure in 2014, The New York Times reported. She has also beaten two cancer diagnoses – colon cancer in 1999 and pancreatic cancer in 2009. After her second cancer surgery in 2009, she went back to work less than three weeks later.

Ginsburg之前也面對過健康危機，但結(jié)果看來她甚是頑強。據(jù)《紐約時報》報道，2012年，斷了兩根肋骨的她也沒缺席工作，而且在2014年接受心臟手術(shù)后很快就康復(fù)了。兩次癌癥確診也沒能打敗她——1999年的結(jié)腸癌和2009年的胰腺癌。在2009年接受了第二次癌癥手術(shù)之后，不到三周她就又重返崗位了。